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About War

"He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder." Einstein

The Irish Anti-War Movement condemns the sentence handed down to Independent TDs Mick Wallace and Clare Daly who were found guilty this week at Ennis District Court of ‘breaching Shannon airport rules’ when they attempted to search two US military planes at the airport last July. This sentence was issued despite the fact that reliable witnesses said categorically that weapons and ammunition were on board US aircraft, in clear breach of Irish law.

The IAWM supports Wallace and Daly and believes that only a hypocritical society can turn a blind eye to these injustices while condemning those who draw attention to this militaristic evil in our midst. By neglecting proper inspections the Irish government is by default allowing arms and munitions to pass through Shannon and failing in its duty of care. These weapons will inevitably result in the deaths of many people, including innocent civilians, elsewhere. Thus the government is bolstering the militarisation of the planet and supporting the false idea that the imposition of military might, rather than diplomacy, is an acceptable tool in international relations.

There is not one country which shows improvement as a result of US military intervention. On the contrary, we see the seemingly deliberate creation of failed state after failed state, resulting in huge refugee populations of displaced and insecure people, desperate to find a safe place for themselves and their children, often forced into the cruel hands of people traffickers, or death by drowning, in efforts to escape the harsh reality that Western powers have brought about with their military escapades.

We commend and admire Wallace and Daly, and the other brave citizens such as Ed Horgan and Margaretta D’Arcy who have stood up against the US military machine and its cowardly enablers. We believe, as many opinion polls have shown, that the majority of Irish people object to the use of Shannon as a pitstop for the US war machine. We call on them to stand up to a government which does not have the true interests of its citizens at heart.